At the track with Earnhardt: 'Good to be back to work'

By Gray Caldwell

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Wednesday at Darlington Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. climbed back behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS, and he took fans along for the ride.

"Today we're at Darlington to get in the car for the first time in six months and just see how that feels," Earnhardt said. "Get out there and run some laps. This is sort of the last thing on the list to get done to get the green light to move forward."

As the nearly five-hour session progressed, Earnhardt said everything came back to him.

"Each lap we run here, I feel more and more comfortable," he said. "It feels like an old habit."

In the end, Earnhardt completed 185 laps under the guidance of No. 88 team crew chief Greg Ives. Following the session, Earnhardt was medically cleared to resume NASCAR competition after making a full recovery from a concussion. He will return for the beginning of the 2017 season at the Feb. 26 Daytona 500.

Your first look at the footage from Darlington -- and Earnhardt's take on the day -- can be seen above.